By Christopher Knaus, originally published in the Guardian 11th February 2020. More than $100m in political donations from hidden sources was donated to the major parties during the election year, the greatest single amount in two decades. The Centre for Public Integrity has analysed the volume of so-called “dark money” – political party income with… Read More

Interview with Geoffrey Watson SC on RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly 11th February 2020. Llew O’Brien has been elected Deputy Speaker after defecting the Nationals party yesterday. The former Queensland police officer is a staunch supporter of a federal anti-corruption commission with strong powers. Calls for a so-called federal ICAC have intensified in recent weeks,… Read More

By David Crowe, originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald 7th February 2020. Secrecy is so essential to politics that governments and political parties will go to any lengths to hide what they do, but there is a way to measure the space where sunlight does not reach. The ritual disclosure of political donations this… Read More

By Stephen Charles, originally published Canberra Times 7th February 2020. If the Prime Minister thinks he has alleviated any public concerns that the Coalition government behaved improperly in the management of the sports grants program, or whether the only error was in Senator McKenzie’s membership of a Wangaratta shooting club, he is mistaken. Former judge… Read More

By Paul Farrell, originally published 5th February 2020 on ABC 7.30. PAUL FARRELL, REPORTER:  The Cronulla Sailing Club boasts million dollar views on Gunnamatta Bay, in the Prime Minister’s electorate of Cook.In 2017, it received some welcome news. It had secured a Federal Government grant. One of thousands awarded in electorates across the country, under… Read More

By Paul Karp and Chris Knaus, originally published in the Guardian 3rd February 2020. The Liberal party received $4.1m from a single donor before the 2019 election, one of the largest amounts in political history, dwarfing former leader Malcolm Turnbull’s $1.75m gift before the 2016 election. The donations, revealed in Australian Electoral Commission disclosures published… Read More

By Charis Chang, originally published 3rd February on News.com.au. Pauline Hanson’s One Nation raised more than $3 million to help fund her election campaign last year — just $76,183 less than the National Party of Australia. According to Australian Electoral Commission figures released today, One Nation raised $3,023,689 during the 2018-19 financial year, compared to… Read More

Published on 7.30 Report 22nd January 2020. PETER WILLIAMS, CASTLEMAINE BOWLING CLUB:  The Castlemaine Bowling Club provides a really important function in our community. It provides opportunities for people to engage in a sport, that’s available for people from birth through to their hundreds. We have a number of people who are no longer playing… Read More

By Anthony Whealy, originally published in the Australian Financial Review 22nd January 2020. The ‘Sport’s Rort’ scandal reflects a new low in our political system. Bridget McKenzie’s actions were much worse than mere pork-barrelling, detestable though that practice is. Here, there was a large scale program appropriately informed by a carefully laid out assessment and… Read More

By Katie Burgess, originally published in the Canberra Times 22 January 2020. Bridget McKenzie may have breached ministerial standards by targeting marginal electorates through a $100 million sports grants program, a former Supreme Court justice says. Senior members of the Morrison government are standing by Senator McKenzie, after an audit last week revealed her office… Read More